BANGOR (AP) – Maine’s lobster catch in 2007 fell by 23 percent in volume and more than 16 percent in value, according to preliminary figures.

Maine lobstermen caught 56.1 million pounds of lobster for the year, down from 72.7 million pounds in 2006, the Department of Marine Resources reported. The value of the catch was pegged at $248.5 million, far below the 2006 value of $297.2 million.

The decline was not a surprise as lobstermen and dealers reported sluggish catches for much of last summer and fall. The numbers will change, most likely upward, in the coming months as DMR receives more data.

“We expected it,” Marine Resources Commissioner George Lapointe said. “We don’t like it.”

Lobster is Maine’s No. 1 seafood by far, and the annual harvest figures are closely watched by those in the industry.

While last year’s harvest fell, lobstermen received more for their catch. The average statewide price rose from $4.08 per pound in 2006 to $4.43 a pound last year.

The sharpest decline was in Hancock County, where fishermen caught an estimated 14.3 million pounds – down 31 percent from 2006. The value fell 22 percent, from $83.7 million in 2006 to $65.3 million last year.

Knox County was the top lobster-producing county, with 17.3 million pounds. Even so, the catch was down 21 percent and the value fell 17 percent, from $91 million to $75 million.

About 9 million pounds of lobster were caught in Washington County, and 7 million pounds were harvested in Cumberland County.

While fluctuations in the lobster harvest are normal and a year or two of declines don’t necessarily mean the fishery is in trouble, there are warning signs worth paying attention to, said DMR lobster biologist Carl Wilson.

It’s difficult to compare the catch with historical levels because reporting by lobster dealers didn’t become mandatory until 2004. But based on surveys with dealers and lobstermen, the 2007 harvest was likely the lowest since 1997, Wilson said.

The lobster abundance has fallen while the annual catch and the number of traps have tripled in the past 20 years, he said. The daily catch per lobster trap is as low as it was in the 1980s, he said.

“There are signs the fishery is becoming stressed,” Wilson said.

At the same time, scientific surveys show that there are high numbers of juvenile lobsters settling on the ocean bottom off the coast, he said.

AP-ES-02-20-08 1014EST